Friday, February 27, 2015

“The Cat in the Hat,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Horton Hears a Who!” – everyone seems to have a favorite Dr. Seuss book from their childhood, and parents love passing down the joy of his books to their children.

To celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center will have a Dr. Seuss Day on Monday, March 2. The center is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

Staff members will be wearing the tall, red-and-white hats. They will be reading Dr. Seuss books in English and Spanish throughout the day to any children who come into the center. They will hand out Dr. Seuss pencils and bookmarks. The front lobby will be decorated in a Dr. Seuss theme. Dr. Seuss coloring sheets, which children have been completing during the past couple of weeks, will be adorning the walls.

Donna Schaap, business office manager for Promise, got the pages turning on the idea.

“As a mom, I really love the Dr. Seuss books and quotes,” she said. “Over the years of watching my kids grow and experience life, it’s really opened my eyes to the beautiful and not so beautiful things that life has to offer. Dr. Seuss books have such a fun and exciting way of not only making reading fun for children but also providing real life lessons we can all learn from.”

One of her favorite Dr. Seuss quotes is: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

“I want the kids in our community to know that it’s OK to be yourself,” Schaap said. “You don’t have to look or act like everyone else to be important or to be someone. I couldn’t think of a better example than Dr. Seuss himself. He wasn’t like any other writer, yet his unique style of writing and drawing is actually what made him famous.”

Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Theodor Seuss Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss, was born March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Mass. His early work was as a cartoonist, and his cartoons were published in many magazines. He later illustrated a children’s collection that gave him his break into children’s literature. His first book, “And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street,” was published in 1937. During his career, he wrote more than 60 books, including nearly 50 books under the name of Dr. Seuss. He died in 1991 at the age of 87.DID YOU KNOW? At least 20 publishers rejected Dr. Seuss’ first book before it was selected. There you go, kids! Don’t give up on your dreams. Keep trying.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Thus, he thinks it’s important to bridge the gap between them to bring them together.

Inman will do so by serving as a behavioral health consultant at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center in a contract with Seasons Center for Behavioral Health.

Promise was awarded a $250,000 grant for mental health treatment and service expansion in November from the Health and Human Services Administration. Inman will be a key cog in the implementation of that grant by working directly with Promise’s health providers to increase patients’ access to behavioral health services in an effort to better integrate primary care and behavioral health services.

Mike Inman will help bridge the gap between primary medicalcare and behavioral health services at Promise CommunityHealth Center in his role as a behavioral health consultant.

He started in his role on Monday, Feb. 16.

“The goal of my position is to promote increased access to behavioral health services and successful implementation of a fully integrated primary care and behavioral health services model of care,” Inman said. “When patients have greater access to mental health services and wellness services, it has been shown that they live fuller lives and avoid health crises, which can be catastrophic financially.”

Inman grew up in Sioux City and graduated from Sioux City North High School in 1979. He earned bachelor’s degrees in history and religion from the University of Iowa in 1984, a master’s degree in religious studies from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, KS, in 1991, and a doctorate degree in philosophical theology from Duquesne University in 1997.

His career background includes serving as an adjunct professor at Duquesne and Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, 1994-99, and as a chaplain and bereavement coordinator at Hospice of Siouxland in Sioux City, 1999-2010. He worked most recently as a clinical therapist at Siouxland Mental Health Center in Sioux City after completing a master’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa in May.

Inman and his wife, Cindy, and his daughter, Jessi, live in Kingsley. He always has been interested in sports and exercise. In fact, he played college tennis at the University of Iowa and served as a tennis instructor for eight years after college. He also loves traveling, reading and spending time at his daughter’s many events.

Here are his reflections on his new role at Promise and his views on behavioral health:

Q: What interested you about serving as a behavioral health consultant at Promise in conjunction with Seasons Center for Behavioral Health?

A: I was impressed with the professionalism and the openness to creativity and growth that Promise and Seasons exhibited, and I wanted to get back to working in a collaborative environment. This job sounded like an interesting adventure.

Q: What does behavioral health mean in your own words?

A: Behavioral health is a new term to describe the more holistic approach to mental health that includes preventive therapies for substance abuse and wellness as well as traditional psychological interventions. There is an old saying, “A cheerful heart is medicine to the bones.” This sums up my attitude toward providing mental health in a clinic setting.

Q: How did you initially become interested in caring for people’s mental health?

A: I found in working at Hospice of Siouxland that pastoral care and counseling were both vital components in caring for the elderly, and my background had been heavily concentrated in pastoral care. I enjoyed counseling people in spiritual matters, and it seemed that becoming more educated in mental health would supplement my work.

Q: What role will you play at Promise?

A: I hope to be a resource to staff and to patients in terms of mental health diagnoses, screening tools and treatment options as well as someone who promotes the therapists and all of our staff. It seems to me this model of care is on the cutting edge of where health care needs to go, so I would hope to be a spokesperson for Seasons and Promise in the years ahead.

Q: Why do you think behavioral health care is important?

A: I think people are integrated beings and what impacts one aspect of our lives inevitably impacts the whole person. For example, numerous studies have been done which show how stress can impact our immune system and cause our health to deteriorate. Viktor Frankl has argued that Auschwitz prisoners who had a sense of purpose and decency about them survived much better than those who saw their situation as hopeless. So spiritual, emotional and physical experiences all impact each other for better or worse.

Q: What is rewarding about your profession?

A: I think a goal of a behavioral therapist is to be able to make a connection with a person by empathizing with their situation and allowing them to feel understood. People want to be able to talk to someone they trust – someone who gets their struggle and someone who has survived their own struggle enough to be able to offer a hopeful vision. I think the word that best describes this interaction is compassion. I think compassion is what people want, and when we are able in some small way to give that, it is life-giving for both parties.

Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

SIOUX CENTER – Tana Kass declared in the first grade that she was going to become a nurse when she grew up.

Tana Kass enjoys seeing patients in all stages oftheir lives as a new family nurse practitioner atPromise Community Health Center in Sioux Center.

She never changed her mind.

Kass has followed a pathway into the medical field throughout her life – ultimately leading her to Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. She began seeing patients at Promise as a family nurse practitioner on Monday, Feb. 9.

“I had always been fascinated by the human body,” she said.

Kass grew up in Sioux City, graduating from Sioux City East High School in 1998. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City in 2002 and her master’s degree in nursing at Briar Cliff in 2013.

She worked as a nurse at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, 2002-07, and at Le Mars Family Medical Center, 2007-13. She then served as an advanced practice registered nurse at Carl T. Curtis Health Education Center in Macy, NE, for two years before coming to Promise.

Kass and her husband, Nathan, live in Le Mars with their five children, Dylan, 15, Cael, 11, Nolan, 9, Hudson, 7, and Kole, 7. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, doing outdoor activities with her family and watching her children’s sports activities.

Here are her reflections on her medical career and her new role at Promise:

Q: What interested you about serving at Promise as a family nurse practitioner?

A: I was interested in being able to serve in a rural health-care setting along with meeting the needs of everyone to ensure that everyone has access to health care.

Q: Why did you select family practice care over other health-related careers?

A: I selected family practice care due to the variety of patients that I could provide services to. I enjoy seeing children, teens and adults through the course of illness, injury and chronic care management.

Monday, February 9, 2015

SIOUX CENTER – Are you thinking about love this February? Consider taking time to find out about the health of your heart.

Brittany Hamm

February is American Heart Month!

Take a moment to think about the following: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the No. 1 cause of death in both women and men in the United States is cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

You can help keep your heart healthy by taking the following steps:

Monitor diet: Limit sodium, saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Try to get five servings of fruits and vegetables a day – and plenty of fiber!

Exercise regularly: Exercising helps you maintain a healthy weight and lowers your cholesterol and blood pressure. Try activities that increase your heart rate at least 30 minutes (doesn’t have to be consistent minutes), five days a week. You don’t have to be a marathon runner – even making daily choices to park your car farther away, take the stairs, or schedule breaks in your work day to get up from your desk and walk are beneficial. Consistency is the key – pick a plan you can stick to.

Avoid tobacco use and alcohol: These products can raise your blood pressure.

Know how your heart is doing: Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked to know your heart’s health. High blood pressure and cholesterol can do a lot of damage to your heart and body before you ever begin to feel sick. The earlier they are detected, the better!

What can Promise Community Health Center help me with?

Free blood pressure screenings. Anyone is welcome to stop by Promise and have their blood pressure checked for free. No appointment is necessary.

Providers can meet with you. They will talk to you about your family history and identify if you are at risk for heart disease. They also can check your cholesterol.

Ready to quit smoking? Promise can support you during this process and help you sign up to receive free nicotine-replacement medication and personal counseling as you become a nonsmoker.

Make sure you have a healthy heart for your valentine this February!

Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org or call 712-722-1700.Brittany Hamm is the clinic manager for Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center.

SIOUX CENTER – Women will have an opportunity to learn about various health issues that affect them and discuss ways to stay healthy.

In particular, they will learn about a natural method of fertility that is based on understanding their own monthly cycles and doesn’t use medications.

The free Sister to Sister/Hermana a Hermana Women’s Health Event is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at First Reformed Church in Sioux Center. Use the Family Life Center entrance along 10th Street. The third annual event will begin with coffee, cookies and other refreshments, and the session will follow.

Brittany Hamm, clinic manager for Promise Community Health Center, will lead the session. Topics that will be discussed include recommended screenings such as mammograms, breast exams, Pap smears and cholesterol tests.

Kari Beader

The presentation – which is sponsored by Promise in collaboration with Sioux County Latino Health Coalition – will be interpreted into Spanish. All women are invited.

“It’s important for women to know, first of all, how healthy they are by getting the appropriate screenings, and then from there, how they can stay healthy and improve their health going forward,” Hamm said.

She said the session will be informal in nature, allowing the women to discuss and share their own experiences.

In addition to the general health information, guest speaker Kari Beader will talk about the Creighton Model FertilityCare System of fertility. She is a certified FertilityCare practitioner and the director for Orange City FertilityCare Center.

The system is a natural method of family planning to help women become pregnant or to avoid pregnancy. To learn more, visit www.fertilitycare.org.

Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The expanded hours will begin on Monday, Feb. 9, when new family nurse practitioner Tana Kass begins seeing patients.

The medical clinic will open at 8 a.m. Monday-Friday. Currently, the opening time is an hour later than that on Mondays and Thursdays. The medical hours also will extend an additional hour to 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Tana Kass

The dental clinic hours also will extend by an hour to 5 p.m. on Fridays.

The new medical hours will be:

8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday;

8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday;

8 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday;

8 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday;

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

The new dental hours will be:

8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday;

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday;

Closed Wednesday;

8 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday;

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

People also can begin scheduling appointments with Kass. She will provide a full range of health-care services at Promise. She has served as a nurse practitioner for the last year and a half in Macy, NE. To schedule an appointment, call 712-722-1700.

Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org.